


In The Summer Time

by tygermine



Series: Merthur Drabbles [13]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 04:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13990356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tygermine/pseuds/tygermine
Summary: Every Family has their traditions...





	In The Summer Time

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Traditions

Every year, it was a family tradition in the Pendragon household to plan a summer vacation. Morgana, Arthur and Uther would sit around the kitchen table and exchange ideas on where they’d like to go.

It always ended with Morgana throwing a fit about wanting to go somewhere that required bikinis, Arthur sulking as he got vetoed every year on his idea of doing something exciting and Uther would play the “I’m-paying-for-the-bloody-trip-so-my-say-is-final” card. The two would sulk right up to the day when Uther would show them the tickets and be greeted with hugs. He always came through for both of them.

Arthur and Morgana may have moved out and moved on with their lives, they still keep this tradition. Or, they did until they found themselves with plus ones.

Merlin had his own summer holiday tradition. Glastonbury. He and his mum had been going since before he could remember. He sometimes suspects that he was conceived under the Pyramid stage.

Leon didn’t have a summer vacation tradition. In fact, Leon never took summer vacations. He always planned to, but somehow he kept missing summer. So Leon was a winter vacation kind of guy. Snowboarding in Switzerland and the like.

With Arthur getting engaged and Morgana becoming rather attached to Leon, their summer vacation round table discussion went something like this:

“I want to go somewhere warm, preferable tropical. I need a tan.”

“You can always get a tan at Glastonbury. And I hear the bands this year are off the wall.”

“Why can’t we go rock climbing in Australia?”

“They’ve got some great shark diving adventures,”

“YOU ARE NOT DIVING WITH SHARKS,” chorused Morgana, Merlin and Uther.

Arthur and Leon exchanged a sad look.

Uther stared down the children at the table. “I’ll arrange something. You will receive your itinerary in a week.” With that he left the table.

Later on the ride home, Merlin actually sulked. “Glasto isn’t that bad. Yes, there’s mud and rain and stuff, but it’s so…it’s like home.”

Arthur kept quiet. He had hoped that with Leon joining the group, they could do manly things like mountain biking, rock climbing and drinking beer while deep sea fishing.

Merlin swatted his arm. “Diving with sharks? Are you mental?”

“It’s perfectly safe.”

“Unlike the rest of Australia,” Merlin muttered darkly.

In Leon’s car, a similar conversation was going on.

“Mountain climbing? Are you serious? Vacation is to rest, not spend more time working out,” Morgana griped, typing away furiously on her phone.

“You’ve never gone mountain climbing, Morgana, so you can’t say that you hate it.”

Morgana waved a dismissive hand. “Rocks, sun, bugs, lizards. Not my idea of a vacation.”

“But lying on a beach is perfect?”

“Yes. Come on Leon, you know what my schedule is like. I’m on my feet pretty much all day every day- “

Leon huffed a laugh. He knew all about it, being the one who had to give the nightly foot rubs.

“-and the only thing I want to do on holiday is lie in the sun, drink cocktails and read.”

Leon did not get lucky that night.

**

Uther sat behind his desk for a long time after the kids had left. He knew they all had different ideas. Some bad (shark diving?) some worse (bloody hippy Glastonbury) and some just unthinkable (Australia? Really?)

So Uther sat, looking out the window and pondered his dilemma. He didn’t have many more years with his family and wanted to get to know the two new partners. Arthur had not mentioned anything, but he saw the matching rings on the boys and knew they were serious. He pulled out an old telephone directory from a drawer in his desk and flipped the pages until he came to a number he hadn’t dialled in decades.

It rang three times before a voice picked up on the other end. “Hello, Hannah? Uther Pendragon.”

**

The group climbed out of the Land Rovers and surveyed the area. A lake took up the view to the right, with wooded hills rising to the left. In front of them stood a sizable wood cabin.

Morgana looked at the grey sky and her face fell. “This is not bikini weather.”

Leon threw an arm across her shoulders. “But it’s definitely stay in bed all day naked weather,” he whispered in her ear, sending a delicious shiver down her spine.

Merlin gaped at the scenery. The lake sparkled, despite the clouds making him wish the sun was out and he could dive right in. Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin’s waist and leaned his chin on his shoulder.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he whispered.

“I’m speechless. Your dad pulled this together himself?”

Arthur nodded. “It’s a family tradition.”

Merlin turned to kiss him. “I can think of a few new traditions we can start, right here.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows, shoved a bag at Merlin and whispered. “Last one to the room has to make breakfast.”

 


End file.
